[37] THE HALIBUT FISHERY—DAVIS STRAIT. 225 
cabin, that, if it had fallen down, it would have been bottom side up. 
One of the fishermen, whom I had always regarded as very sensible, 
seeing the hatch in that position, said to me, “‘ Mr. Scudder, don’t leave 
the hatch that way,” and when I asked him why, he explained, that if 
it should slip down it would be upside down, which would bring ill luck 
upon the whole trip. I replied, ‘‘Let’s try it,” and knocked the hatch 
down on the floor bottom up. Ido not remember of ever having been 
more surprised than I was to see him jump to turn the hatch over. He 
then said, “I don’t Know what the captain would say if he saw that.” 
One of the fishermen told of a captain he was with who swore terribly at 
him because he pushed a dory off from the vessel with the bow of the 
dory toward the sun. I found, however, some difficulty in getting the 
men to acknowledge their belief in many superstiti$ns, and I should not 
have found out those I have mentioned, had not the incidents spoken 
of called them into action. I think, as a whole, they were, for sea-going 
men, remarkably free from superstition. 
The food during the trip was excellent of its kind. Fresh meat and 
vegetables were, from the nature of the case, out of the question, but 
the salt meat could not have been better, and fresh halibut and cod, 
while the fishing continued, were ever available. There was no milk of 
any kind, and no canned vegetables. Only enough potatoes were taken 
to last afew days. A little variety was noticed in the meals on Sunday, 
for on this day the cook added baked beans and brown bread to the 
bill of fare. Pea soup was common. ‘Tea was prepared for each meal, 
and coffee for breakfast, and occasionally also for dinner, but both of 
these had to be taken without milk. Rice pudding and the famous dish 
of “duff” appeared occasionally. Neither were we without our mince 
pies, for the cook made some very fair ones out of dried apples and salt 
meat. Sugar, butter, and molasses were only wanting the last two weeks. 
The water of Greenland was excellent, as well as that taken from Glou- 
cester. The food was nicely cooked, and many a housekeeper would 
be proud could she make such bread and cook such dishes as we had, 
with similar materials. Though the food was good and healthy, con- 
densed milk and canned vegetables would have been a great addition. 
The most regular meal was dinner, which came about noon. The 
other meals were more or less interfered with by the fishing, but while 
we were on the passage out and back breakfast came about 6 a. m. and 
supper about 5 p. m. 
With the exception of the captain, all the fishermen used tobacco, both 
by chewing and smoking, and when, toward the end of the trip, tobacco 
became scarce, some would save their quids for smoking, after drying. 
Smoking must come before and after every important operation. 
There was no severe sickness during the trip. One of the crew had 
what appeared to be the quinsy sore throat, which prevented him taking 
an active part in the fishing for several days. The captain seemed 
threatened with consumption and was confined to his bunk a day or 
- §. Mis. 29 15 
